


Forget Your Pain In The Arms Of My Love

by Nadja_Lee



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet, Happy Ending, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Memory Alteration, Moral Dilemmas, Moving On, Post-Episode: s02e12 You Are Not Your Own, Protective Magnus Bane, Self-Sacrificing Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26514508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadja_Lee/pseuds/Nadja_Lee
Summary: Magnus realize that Valentine exploited the opportunity to get revenge on Alec when he was in Magnus’ body and finds a way to save Alec from his own memories.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 32
Kudos: 575
Collections: Hunter's Moon 500 Prompts





	Forget Your Pain In The Arms Of My Love

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to my beta readers: Cindy and Monochromatize. This fic was meant to be a longer story but I am drowning in WIPs at the moment so it ended up like this.  
> Thanks to Regina for the fic banner.  
> For the 500 word prompt forgot

Alec and Magnus were frozen in the moment, everything having changed in that split second when Alec had flinched away from his touch.

“It’s nothing,” Alec quickly assured him, blushing furiously, coming to stand at parade rest.

“Alexander, please. Tell me the truth,” Magnus begged fearfully.

“It’s fine,” Alec insisted stubbornly but he was unable to meet his gaze.

“Something clearly happened while Valentine was in my body.”

“I can’t forgive myself I didn’t notice it wasn’t you,” Alec admitted, a pained look on his face.

Experimentally Magnus did a quick hand movement and again Alec flinched and again he almost managed to hide it.

“Alexander, when Valentine was in my body…did he hurt you?” Magnus asked insightfully, dread and horror on his face at the mere thought, the idea that his body could have done that even if he had had no control over it.

“It wasn’t you. It wasn’t you,” Alec said stubbornly, the words filled with pain and there were unshed tears in his eyes.

Magnus had a horrible feeling Alec had repeated those words to himself again and again.

“He **did** hurt you,” Magnus stated matter of fact, his voice filled with sympathy and pain.

“It wasn’t you,” Alec repeated.

Magnus gave him a searching look, the tension in his body, the way he was avoiding his gaze.

“He hit you,” Magnus realized, horrified. “You thought it was me. You thought I would do that. That you deserved that!”

“Before you, love was always painful. I thought… I’m used to being punished when I fuck up and letting Valentine out….That deserved punishment,” Alec said lowly, his gaze fixed on a spot on the floor.

“Alexander, love should always be tender. Always be gentle,” Magnus protested, heartbroken.

Alec finally looked at him, his eyes clouded with agony.

“It wasn’t you,” Alec insisted as if saying it repeatedly would make it easier for him to remember.

“But your mind thinks it was,” Magnus said sadly and to prove his point he reached out a hand towards him.

Again Alec instinctively flinched away before he stubbornly forced himself to stand still, having to bite his lower lip till it starting to bleed to do so.

“I wish I could forget,” Alec admitted heartbroken.

Alec looked so sad and so lost that Magnus acted purely on instinct. He said a quick spell and snapped his fingers and the memory of Alec’s ordeal with Valentine in Magnus’ body was erased from his mind and banished to another realm.

Alec blinked a few times as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He saw Magnus and smiled widely.

“Magnus!” Alec said joyfully and flew into his arms, embracing him lovingly, eagerly, without hesitation, without fear.

Magnus held him close as he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alec replied at once.

Magnus smiled relieved. Alec never needed to know. It was better that way. Wasn’t it? That was what people did for love. Wasn’t it?

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story you might like these stories with a similar theme:  
> What's Love Without Sacrifice? https://archiveofourown.org/works/24252610  
> You Will Rise Again https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362744  
> If you enjoyed the story please leave a comment and a kudos (or just a kudos). It would mean a lot to me.


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